Tape roll holder



w. M. TOLAAS 2,970,686

TAPE ROLL HOLDER Feb. 7, 1961 Filed March 20, 1959 INVENTOR 33 Z MOW/am M 70/04:

BY wwa ATTORNEY United States. Patent TAPE ROLL nornnn William M. Tolaas, St. Paul, Minn., assignor to Waldorf ltaper Products Company, St. Paul, Minn, a corporatron of Minnesota Filed Mar. '20, 1959, Ser. No. 800,871 3 Claims. Cl. 206-52) This invention relates to an improvement in tape roll holder and deal particularly with a simple holder of paperboard or the like capable of supporting a roll of tape so that it may be readily dispensed.

Various types of holders have been produced for suppotring rolls of tape such as pressure sensitive tape and the like. These structures comprise either generally rectangular cartons or hollow rectangular sleeves which include some means of rotatably supporting the tape roll so that it can be withdrawn from the roll without removing the roll from the sleeve or carton. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a simple device for this purpose which can be easily assembled by automatic means if so desired. I

An object of the present invention resides in the provision of a generally rectangular sleeve preferably having a cutting edge at an end of one panel. Flaps are provided which are foldably connected to the end edges of the adjoining panel of the sleeve, these flaps or flanges being foldable inwardly of the sleeve. The flaps are provided with arcuate notches in their extremities. The tape roll with which the sleeve is used is provided with a hollow core of cylindrical form which is somewhat longer than the width of the tape so that the core extends beyond the roll of tape at both sides thereof. The arcuate notches in the flaps frictionally engage opposite sides of the core ends to rotatably support the tape roll.

A feature of the present invention resides in the fact that the flaps may if desired be folded inwardly of the sleeve at the time the sleeve is adhered in tubular form and remain inwardly folded duringtransportation and storage. When the sleeves are to be used, the sleeves are expanded into rectangular form and the rolls of tape are merely inserted into the sleeve with the ends of the core engaging against the inwardly turned flaps. Due to the natural tendency of the flaps to fold inwardly, the insertion of the tape roll will cause the flaps to engage opposite sides of the core to rotatably support the core and the tape wound thereupon.

These and other objects and novel features of the present invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part ofthe specification:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tape roll holder showing the tape positioned therein.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the tape roll holder and the roll of tape.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, the position of the section being indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of the blank from which the tape roll holder is formed.

The tape roll holder is formed of the blank A best illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings. As indicated in this Figure, the blank includes a side wall panel 10, an end wall panel 11, a side wall panel 12, and a second end wall panel 13 which are foldably connected together along parallel fold lines 14, 15 and 16 respectively. A glue flap 17 is foldably connected to one end panel of the series such as the side wall panel along a fold line 19.

In assembled form of the sleeve, the glue fiap 17 is adhered or otherwise secured in overlapping relation with the end wall 13.

Flaps 20 and 21 are foldably connected to the upper edges of the side wall panels 10 and 12 along aligned fold lines 22 and 23. Similar flaps 24 and 25 are foldably connected to the lower edges of the side wall panels 10 and 12 along aligned fold lines 26 and 27 respectively. As is indicated in this Figure, the end wall panel 11 is preferably slightly shorter than the opposite end wall 13 or is notched as indicated at 29 and a cutting edge 30 is secured to the wall 11 by any suitable means such as by tabs 31 punched from the body of the cutting strip and clinched through the upper edge of the end wall 11 so that the cutting edge 32 will be substantially even with the upper edges of the other walls of the sleeve.

As also indicated in these drawings, the flaps 20, 21, 24 and 25 are each provided with a central arcuate notch 33 in the free edge thereof. These notches have a radius substantially equal to the outer diameter of the roll core 34 of the tape roll B which includes the core 34 and tape 35 spirally wound thereupon. The free ends of the flaps are properly arranged so that the center of arcuation of the notches 33 are substantially identical with the center of arcuation of the tape core 34 when the roll B is in place. Thus, when the flaps are folded inwardly inthe manner illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawings, the tape roll core 34 may be inserted between the flaps and rotatably supported thereby. As is clearly indicated in Figure 2 of the drawings, the core 34 is somewhat wider than the tape 35 and the core is substantially equal in length to the distance between the side walls 10 and 12. As a result, the insertion of the core into the sleeve has a tendency to spread apart the side walls to some extent until the center of the core coincides with the center of arcuation of the opposed notches 33. At this time, the flaps will engage the projecting end of the core and rotatably support the same.

The flaps naturally engage the sides of the tape roll because of the fact that there is a natural tendency for these flaps to fold out into the plane of the side walls. In other words, there is a certain spring tension to these flaps which tends to urge the free ends inwardly thus acting as an eifective support for the tape roll. When supported in the manner described, the tape may be dis- 'pensed by drawing the end of the tape over the cutting two opposed walls of said sleeve, a tape roll, a core within said tape roll and projecting beyond said tape roll, the ends of said core abutting the inner surfaces of said two walls and held from axial movement thereby, said flaps being folded inwardly of the walls to which they are hinged, the free ends of said flaps engaging the projecting ends of said core.

2. The structure of claim 1 and including notches in the free ends of said flaps in which said core is engaged.

3. The structure of claim 1 and including arcuate notches in the free ends of said flaps, the radius of arcuation being substantially equal to the radius of said core, the edges of said notches partially encircling said core.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 517,529 Great Britain Feb. 1, 1940 

